Initiatic orders
Templars, chivalric orders, speculative Freemasonry, Martinism and the Rosicrucians in history.
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite: 33 Degrees and 1801
From the Rite of Perfection to Charleston in 1801: how the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite arose, its 33 degrees, the two-headed eagle and Albert Pike.
Antients and Moderns: The English Masonic Schism and 1813
Why a second Grand Lodge arose in England in 1751, what divided Antients and Moderns, and how the union of 1813 created the United Grand Lodge of England.
The Bavarian Illuminati: The Real History of Weishaupt's Order
Founded at Ingolstadt in 1776 and dissolved after 1785: degrees, pseudonyms, links with Freemasonry and the birth of the Illuminati myth, from the records.
The Birth of Speculative Freemasonry: Ashmole, 1717, Anderson
From the first gentlemen initiated in the 17th century to the Grand Lodge of London in 1717 and Anderson's Constitutions of 1723: how Freemasonry began.
The Carbonari: Rites, Symbols and Language of the «Good Cousins»
The Carbonari as an initiatory society: vendite and huts, the degrees of apprentice and master, the symbols of charcoal and fire, and the 1820-21 risings.
Court Orders of Chivalry: The Garter and the Golden Fleece
Why 14th- and 15th-century rulers created court orders: Edward III's Garter, Philip the Good's Golden Fleece and the Savoy Order of the Annunciation.
Freemasonry and the Catholic Church: Condemnations Since 1738
From the bull In eminenti of 1738 to Humanum genus in 1884 and the declaration of 1983: how and why the Catholic Church has condemned Freemasonry.
French Compagnonnage: Crafts, Legends and the Tour de France
France's craft brotherhoods: the three rites of Solomon, Maître Jacques and Soubise, the Tour de France, the masterpiece, the Mère and the symbolic staff.
The Golden Rosicrucians: Germany's Alchemical Order of the 1700s
The Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross: Sincerus Renatus, the nine grades from Junior to Magus, laboratory alchemy and its influence at the Prussian court.
The Knights Hospitaller: From Jerusalem to Rhodes and Malta
The history of the Knights Hospitaller: the Jerusalem hospital, the bull of 1113, Rhodes, the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 and the Order of Malta today.
The Iberian Military Orders: Calatrava, Santiago and Christ
Calatrava, Santiago, Alcántara, Montesa and the Order of Christ: how the military orders of the Reconquista arose and what they took from the Templars.
The Kabbalistic Rose-Cross and Péladan: Occultism and Art
Stanislas de Guaita's Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross (1888), Joséphin Péladan's breakaway and the Salons de la Rose+Croix held between 1892 and 1897.
Martinès de Pasqually and the Élus Coëns: Theurgy in the 1700s
The Order of Knight Masons Élus Coëns of the Universe: Martinès de Pasqually, the Treatise on Reintegration, its theurgic operations and its disciples.
Papus and the Martinist Order: Origins, Degrees and the S.I.
How the Martinist Order arose in late 19th-century Paris: Papus and Chaboseau, the Supreme Council of 1891, the three degrees, mask, mantle and cord.
The Myth of Templar Survival: Scotland, Larmenius and Lodges
How the idea of Templar survival arose: Ramsay, the Strict Observance, Wilhelmsbad, the Larmenius Charter and the Scottish legends, set against sources.
The Old Charges: Medieval Masons and the Roots of the Lodge
The Regius Poem, the Cooke Manuscript and the Schaw Statutes: what the documents of medieval stonemasons tell us about the origins of Freemasonry.
Saint-Martin, the Unknown Philosopher: From Theurgy to the Heart
Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin between the Élus Coëns and Jakob Böhme: why he left ritual operations for an inner way that later inspired Martinism.
Symbols of the Masonic Lodge: Pillars, Ashlars and Pavement
Square and compasses, the pillars Jachin and Boaz, rough and perfect ashlars, the mosaic pavement and the blazing star: a guide to lodge symbolism.
The Templar Rule: Hierarchy, Daily Life and Admission
How the Templars lived under their Rule: master, seneschal and marshal, knights and sergeants, the white mantle and the ceremony of admission.
The Origins of the Templars: From Jerusalem to Troyes
How the Templars began: Hugh of Payns, the palace on the Temple Mount, the Council of Troyes in 1129 and Bernard of Clairvaux's praise of knighthood.
The Teutonic Order: From Acre to Prussia and Marienburg
History of the Teutonic Order: the Acre hospital, Hermann von Salza, the Golden Bull of Rimini, the Prussian state, Grunwald and secularisation in 1525.
The Three Masonic Degrees and the Legend of Hiram
Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master: how the three degrees of Freemasonry took shape, what the legend of Hiram tells and which working tools accompany it.
The Trial of the Templars: From the 1307 Arrests to 1314
The arrests of 13 October 1307, the charges, the roles of Philip the Fair and Clement V, the Council of Vienne and the fate of the last Templar master.
Willermoz and the Rectified Scottish Rite: Lyon, 1778 and 1782
How Willermoz turned the Strict Observance into the Rectified Scottish Rite: the Convent of the Gauls in 1778, Wilhelmsbad and the Knights Beneficent.
Women in Freemasonry: Adoptive Lodges and Le Droit Humain
From the adoptive lodges of the 18th century to Maria Deraismes's initiation in 1882 and the birth of Le Droit Humain in 1893: women in Freemasonry.